Boys tennis takes swings at Century

The Hood River Valley boys tennis team made up for a so-so showing against North Salem last week with a superlative performance at Saturday’s Century High School tournament.

After falling 6-2 to North Salem last Friday, the Eagles traveled to Century (Hillsboro) and made up for the loss with a strong all-around effort by each player.

“We didn’t bring home any trophies, but it really was a good day for the guys,” coach Shayla Moline said. “They are really improving and developing, and I see them getting smarter with every match we play.”

The highlight at Century came from junior Sean Ritter, the Eagles No. 2 singles player who played No. 1 singles and won all three of his matches.

Junior Cam Emerson and senior Joseph Broschart teamed up for No. 1 doubles and won one of two matches. Emerson played with freshman Matt Byrne in the first match, but lost to a team from Sandy.

In addition, Byrne played No. 2 singles and split his two matches. Junior No. 3 singles player Alex Lozano also had a solid outing, winning two of his three matches (along with one of HRV’s only two wins vs. North Salem).

Additional results from Saturday’s tournament had the Chiang brothers, Bruce and Neil, playing No. 2 doubles and winning one of three. Sean Tamura and Cliff Cook teamed up for No. 4 doubles, but didn’t come away with a win.

Joe Yang and Patrick Murphy played No. 3 doubles, while Jeff Fenwick played No. 4 singles. However, neither won a match.

“The match experience was huge for us,” Moline said. “It gives the players goals and incentives for practice, and everyone walked off the court knowing what they needed to work on.”